Toothbrush



Oct. 21, 1947. i l M. J. WALKER 2,429,437

/ TOOTHBRUS H Filed May 25, 1945 Patented Oct. 21, 1947 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE TOOTHBRUSH Maurice J. Walker, United States ArmyApplication May 25, 1945, Serial No. 595,821v

This invention relates generally to brushes, and more particularly to atooth brush including a brush unit adapted to be selectively changedfrom one configuration to another.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a brush unit which isreadily adjustable manually, at will, to be adapted for cleaning eitherthe inside or outside ofthe teeth.

Another object is to provide a novel tooth brush including a brush unitin the form of a removable and renewable insert having a flexible backportion adapted to -be slidably mounted in a holder, in combination withactuating means adapted to slide and flex the brush head to alter thesame from a concave to a convex configuration.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent as it isbetter understood from the following description, which, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, forms one embodiment thereof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the novel tooth brush assembly.

Figure 2 is a side View of the same partly in elevation and partly incross section, showing the brush set for use with the bristles concave.

Figure 3 is a side view similar to Figure 2, but showing the brush setfor use with the bristles convex.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken across the brush holdingportion of the handle along the line 4--4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken across the handle along theline 5-5 of Figure l.

Briey the present invention relates to a tooth brush, which comprises ahollow handle having a frame or skeleton head portion with a anged overend adapted to receive detachable and renewable exible brush inserts ofdifferent bristle shapes and designs which may be pivoted at one end inthe head portion, and a reciprocable actuator rod extending through thehandle having a hooked-end slidable under the flanged over end of thehead portion and adapted to hook over the other or free end of theiiexible brush insert, whereby the brush may be flexed upwardly from thehead portion to provide, for example, a convex brush surface, orreturned t a normal position to provide a concave brush surface.

Referring to several parts specically by reference numerals, theinvention comprises a handle I0 having a hollow bore through whichextends an actuator shaft II. This shaft extends from the handle I Dinto and across the Claims. (Cl. 15-172) 2, length of a frame-like headportion I 2 preferably formed integral with the handle.

The bottom of the head portion I2 is counter, sunk to receive adetachable brush head I4, and is frame-like because it is provided withan elongated slot defined on each side by rails I3 and upwardlyextending flanges I5 and I6', and dened by a turned over iianged portionIT andA a, wall i8 at each end, note Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

The, actuator shaft II protrudes from the hollow handle l0 through thewall I8 across the length of the slot and under the anged portion I'I atthe outer end of the head portion I2. On the outer end of the shaft I I,which is preferably flat at this point is a hook 29. This hook slidesback and forth under the flanged over portion II, as the shaft Il iscaused to slide in or out from the head I2, and hooks over the end ofbrush head I4, which is flexible and resilient.y Sliding movement isimparted to the shaft II by manipulation of a finger piece 22 swiveledto the end of the shaft against the resiliency of the brush head I4,which is pivoted at the inner end of the head I2 on a pin 23 mountedibetween iianges I5 and I6.

Provision is made for holding or locking the shaft l I against theaction of the resilient brush at an inward position with respect to theyhead frame I2, by forming the end of the handle Ii) with a V-notch,defined by diverging arms 25 and 26 (see Figure 1) and by cooperativelytapering the inner portion 2i of the ringer piece, 22 to seat and flt inthe apex of the notch between the arms, or at an outward position byforming a pair of relatively smaller V-notuches 28 and 29 across theends of the diverging arms 25 and 26 at right angles to the rst notch.

The brush head I4 may be of any construction or material, for example,plastic with longitudinally extending wires 30 of spring steel runningthrough each row of bristles (see Figure 1). These wires fbeing ofspring steel, are adapted to return the bristles to a flat or concaveposition, as shown in Figure 2, or from the convexV position of thebristles, as shown in Figure 3, when the finger piece 22 is pulled fromthe small notchesacross the ends of the arms 25 and 2tA against theresistance of the wires 3S and turned approximately degrees until it maybe engaged in the large V-notch.

As the device is illustrated, the actuating shaft II is made flat thegreater portion of its length, and round only at the outer end 3| toprovide for the swivelling action of the finger piece 22 3 for itsengagement with the respective holding notches.

Thus, there is provided a novel tooth brush having a renewable bristleassembly i4 of convertible shape, which is readily detachable as aseparate unit from its mounting in the framelike head portion I2, whichbristle assembly, when removed from the head, leaves an oblong aperturetherein to facilitate washing out colleoted matter from the headportion. Also, such renewable bristle assemblies may be made ofdifferent forms and sizes so as to provide any other desired shapes forwashing the teeth than heretofore mentioned. i

Without further description, it is thought that the features andadvantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled inthe art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form,proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A tooth brush including a hollow handle having a recessed headportion with a flanged over end, a flexible and resilient brush headassembly detachably pivoted in said head at one end, a reciprocatableactuator member extending through said handle and a hook member carriedby said actuator member engageable over the free end of said brushassembly opposite to said pivoted end, whereby the brush head may beexed upwardly from the recessed head portion to change the configurationof said brush assembly upon reciprocation of said actuator in thehandle.

2. A tooth brush comprising a hollow handle, a recessed head portionassociated with one end of the handle, said head having side and endwalls, a pin mounted between said side walls, means extending frombeyond the other end of said handle through one of said end walls to theopposite end wall, a resilient and flexible bristle assembly adapted tofit between said walls pivoted at one end to said pin, means carried bysaid rst means engaged with the free end of said bristle assembly, andmeans rotatably mounted on the end of said rst means beyond the saidhandle end adapted to engage in notches arranged in this end of saidhandle and at varying distances to thereby move said second named meanswith said free end of the bristle assembly toward and away from itspivoted end.

3. A tooth brush comprising a hollow handle, a recessed head portionassociated with one end of the handle, said head having side and endwalls, a pin mounted between said side walls, means extending frombeyond the other end of said handle through one of said end Walls to theopposite end wall, a resilient and flexible bristle assembly adapted tofit between said walls pivoted at one end t said pin, a hook carried bysaid means engaged over the free end of said bristle assembly, and afinger piece rotatably mounted on the end of said means beyond the saidend of the handle, said handle end having notches positioned angularlywith respect to each other and of different longitudinal depths adapt- Ithe free end of said bristle assembly, the free end of said handle beingprovided with a plurality 'of notches of different longitudinal depthsfrom the end of the handle, and a finger -piece having tapered seatportions rotatably mounted on the end Yof said longitudinally movablemeans adapted to intert with said notches to the different depths ofeach notch to regulate the shape of the said bristle assembly upondisplacement of said longitudinally movable means.

5. A tooth brush comprising a handle having a head portion adapted tocontain a bristle assembly, said head having a countersunk bottom withan oblong slot dened therein, side walls on each side of the said slot,and end wall at the inner end of said head, a turned over flange on theouter end of said head, a pin mounted between said side walls adjacentthe inner end of said head portion, a shaft reciprocable within saidhandle for lengthwise movement thereof,

said shaft having a rounded portion extending from beyond the end of thehandle and a relatively at portion integral therewith extending thelength of said handle and projecting from the said end wall at the innerend of said head portion over the said slot, and under said flange atthe outer end of said head, said shaft having a hooked-end slidableunder said flange, and a bristle assembly having a flexible resilientbacking pivoted at one end around said pin and engaged at the other endby said hooked-end, and a finger -piece universally mounted on the endof said rounded portion of the shaft adapted to engage with means at theend of the handle to thereby lock the shaft in different lengthwiseadjusted positions to thereby cause the hookedend to ex the said backingupwardly from the head portion, and change the shape of said bristles toa configuration diierent from an unflexed condition of the said backing.

MAURICE J. WALKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

